Lady L let your soul be free

There are many reasons why Freaks and Geeks is such an amazing series--the all-star cast (including the mother, played by Becky Anne Baker, who now plays Hannah Horvath's mother in Girls), the production quality, the writing. But what really did it for me was the soundtrack. Most of the major moments throughout the series are enhanced by music from the 70s and 80s. From Sam's "slow dance" to Styx's "Come Sail Away" in the pilot episode, to Jason Segel's silky, sexy disco dance in the final episode, and everything in between.

My absolute favorite scenes--and quite possibly some of the greatest musical moments in television history--are when Nick sings "Lady L" (which was written by Jason Segel), and when Lindsey's parents debate the sexual implications of The Who's "Squeezebox."

Great music. Great entertainment. It was a crime against television to cancel this show.

We were standing at Forsyth and Bowery

On their most recent--and slightly more subdued and melancholy--album, Hummingbird (released Jan. 29 on French Kiss Records) Taylor Rice of the Local Natives sings "We were standing/at Forsyth and Bowery":

That sounds nice and all, but I am 99.999999% positive that Forsyth and Bowery do not intersect. But maybe there's a hidden curve in the street I don't know about. Or maybe there's another city in which these streets exist, although Rice told a crowded room at the Music Hall of Williamsburg that "Bowery" is inspired by New York. So either the Local Natives (who are, I should point out, from Los Angeles) made a careless mistake, or "Bowery" is deliberately deep and insightful and its meaning requires some further thought. It could be the idealist in me, but I'm going to root for the latter, since I have enormous respect for the band, and I also like to think that beautiful music has beautiful meaning to it--whether or not you can figure it out. Also, the Local Natives recorded the album with The National's Aaron Dessner, who is based in Brooklyn, so I'd like to think that he might have caught such an unintentional falsity.

While I'm on the subject, here's an example of geographically accurate lyrics.